The helicopter bearing the KC logo, like a giant black dragonfly, slowly descended onto the helipad atop the foundation's headquarters building, its rotor blades gradually reducing their roar.
You Xuan and Kaiba Mokuba stepped out of the aircraft together, accompanied by a team of KaibaCorp security personnel in their classic sunglasses and suits, as well as a certain Duel Security Consultant wearing a Duel Disk.
A Duel Security Consultant, as the name implies, is hired by companies specifically to handle various matters that need to be resolved through dueling. However, KaibaCorp's situation was rather unique, because whenever they encountered a slightly stronger opponent, Kaiba Seto himself liked to jump in and duel, snatching the opportunity. Thus, KaibaCorp's dueling consultants usually spent most of their time slacking off.
The head of the security team was Mr. Kuno, the old man in sunglasses who had been fiercely loyal to Kaiba Seto in the canonical Duel Monsters series. This bodyguard, though he had few lines, left a deep impression on fans of the original anime.
Firstly, because Kaiba Seto always took him along wherever he went and whatever he did, at one point even giving the illusion that he was the "only bodyguard in the entire company." Secondly, because this person was always incredibly calm, to the point of seeming abnormal.
During the Battle City tournament, the oppressive aura of the Three Egyptian Gods suffocated everyone present, yet Mr. Kuno, as the referee, remained composed, even calmly reminding the duelists to play properly and not pull any stunts. When Mr. Marik played a Dark Duel that made the opposing duelist's body vanish, Mr. Kuno still stood by with a poker face, his expression conveying "it's a small matter, nothing to be surprised about." It always felt as if Mr. Kuno was the hidden boss who saw through everything.
Now, Mr. Kuno had risen to the position of Security Supervisor, serving as Kaiba Seto's most trusted assistant, personally leading the team at the forefront. The foundation already had people waiting to greet them. After bowing to everyone, they turned and led them into the building.
They passed through a spacious and brightly lit corridor, with expensive paintings adorning the walls on both sides. A heavy wooden door at the end of the corridor slowly opened, revealing a corner of a luxurious and elegant restaurant. Soft lighting spilled onto the exquisite dining tables, which were laden with various dishes, beautifully crafted like works of art, emitting a rich aroma.
Pegasus J. Crawford stood up and walked directly over, shaking hands with Kaiba Mokuba.
"Thank you for coming," he paused, "but I regret that Kaiba Seto could not join us personally."
"My brother is abroad; speaking to me is the same as speaking to him," Kaiba Mokuba said. "Alright, you said there was a misunderstanding between us. What exactly is the situation?"
"I was just about to explain. But please, everyone, don't stand; let's sit down and eat something first."
Pegasus clapped his hands, and servants immediately came forward to usher everyone to their seats. Everyone sat down in turn, guided by the servants.
You Xuan noticed Pegasus's card professors standing behind him. Among them, he immediately spotted Carter Dickson, whom he had just seen online not long ago. You Xuan smiled and waved a friendly greeting to the man. But upon seeing him, Carter Dickson's face simply darkened. He turned his head away, remaining silent.
It seems the kid is a bit traumatized.
Regardless, You Xuan felt that crashing this meal was certainly worthwhile. After all, he was mainly there as a spectator, primarily focused on eating while watching the drama unfold.
"Industrial Illusions was invaded a week ago," Pegasus J. Crawford said. "An unknown hacker breached our firewall and stole a large amount of card data and R&D data from our servers."
Kaiba Mokuba frowned, "Hacked? You?"
"Yes. There are not many people in the world today with that level of technical prowess."
Pegasus J. Crawford picked up a wine glass filled with red wine and took a small sip.
"Especially when we analyzed the invasion method, we noticed some technical characteristics that were quite familiar to us."
"Oh? Who could it be?"
Pegasus J. Crawford said, enunciating each word: "KaibaCorp."
"Impossible," Kaiba Mokuba immediately denied. "We never had, and absolutely have no reason to invade Industrial Illusions' system."
But as the words left his mouth, he quickly thought that a motive couldn't be entirely ruled out. He and Pegasus J. Crawford had, after all, had a conflict many years ago.
"I thought so too, which is why I'm trying to confirm this today, just in case. Now I know it has nothing to do with KaibaCorp. If there was any offense during this period, the foundation is willing to compensate for any losses."
"So that's why you broke into the link system? Because the link system is connected to our Duel Mainframes, you wanted to use it to acquire our data?"
Kaiba Mokuba pondered.
"It's not really a loss… But you think that hacker, at least, is related to us, right?"
"I know KaibaCorp has also been troubled by hacker issues recently," Pegasus J. Crawford did not directly answer the question. "There are only a handful of people in this world who can break into both our mainframes."
"Do you seem to have a lead?" Kaiba Mokuba asked. "Do you have a suspect?"
"Calling them a suspect 'person' might not be entirely accurate," Pegasus said gravely. "It's hard to say if it's even a human."
Kaiba Mokuba was secretly startled. "What do you mean?"
Pegasus changed the subject: "KaibaCorp was once at the forefront of AI research worldwide, and your research team was once considered the closest to creating digital life, right?"
"You mean… AI?"
Kaiba Mokuba shook his head.
"That's impossible. My brother and I long ago ordered the cessation of all research into digital life. It was shut down ever since… that incident."
He paused.
"The only AI we are still developing now are duel AIs."
You Xuan could probably guess that "that incident" might refer to the Noah arc in the Duel Monsters anime. KaibaCorp wasn't just close to creating digital life; they had already succeeded. But precisely after the crisis in the Noah arc, where the AI went rogue and tried to steal their real bodies, KaibaCorp ordered the prohibition of digital life development.
The AIs they were still developing now were just simple dueling programs, like the AI Kaiba You Xuan had faced before. They would simulate the original's thoughts, tactics, personality, and performance in specific duels, but ultimately, they were just imitations, without their own thoughts or souls.
A truly autonomous AI, on the other hand, should be like Noah, a living person residing in the digital world.
"The only digital life in the world has died, many years ago," Kaiba Mokuba said gravely. "Such a thing no longer exists."
"You can't be so sure about that."
Pegasus leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped.
"I'm just offering a line of inquiry. As for whether you believe it or not, and how you choose to investigate further, that's up to you."
Kaiba Mokuba frowned deeply, remaining silent for a moment.
The silence lasted about a minute. Everyone quietly ate their food, and Pegasus took another sip of red wine.
Then, he wiped his mouth with a napkin offered by a servant. "Once again, I regret that Kaiba Seto couldn't join us. We haven't had a chance to meet again since that time, and I've always wanted to apologize to him in person."
He paused, adding, "Both on behalf of Industrial Illusions, and as a duelist."
Kaiba Mokuba remained silent.
"In fact, I can roughly surmise Kaiba Seto's thoughts," Pegasus said, gently closing his eyes. "He believes that it was the Three Wicked Gods who defeated him back then, not I, right? And now that the Three Wicked Gods are gone, I am not a worthy opponent for him, isn't that right?"
Kaiba Mokuba smiled, "I didn't say that; you're the one who thinks so."
But he didn't deny it either. Indeed, even Kaiba Mokuba thought so. Kaiba Seto had been defeated by the Three Wicked Gods, not Pegasus J. Crawford.
The Three Wicked Gods, like the Egyptian Gods, not only possessed powerful effects in duels but also greatly boosted their wielder's destiny. Not to mention that Pegasus's mind was influenced at the time; he was practically under the control of the Three Wicked Gods.
After Pegasus was defeated by Yugi Muto, the Wicked God cards were reportedly destroyed by Pegasus himself. So, in Kaiba Seto's eyes, the remaining Pegasus J. Crawford was merely the former vessel of the Three Wicked Gods. He wasn't the man who had once defeated him, and even if he came to humiliate him now, it would be meaningless.
"Indeed, it's only natural for him to think that way, and I can't deny it. However, as a duelist, I still feel a bit unwilling, you know."
Pegasus J. Crawford smiled, then opened his eyes, his gaze now fixed on You Xuan, who had been diligently focused on eating the entire time.
"You are… Fujiki You Xuan, a student of Duel Academy, right?"
You Xuan looked up.
Why did the conversation suddenly shift to me?
"First, I thank you for guiding my card professor today. I've always told them that there's always someone better, and higher peaks to climb, but it seems letting them experience it firsthand was more direct."
"It's nothing."
You Xuan waved his hand generously, thinking to himself, If you're truly grateful, it'd be fine if you let me wander around Pegasus's warehouse.
"Dickson's evaluation of you was quite special, so I looked into it a bit and then learned that you were the one who defeated the hijacked AI in Kaiba Land. No wonder Kaiba Seto paid attention to you."
You Xuan propped his chin up.
He smelled the taste of cards.
"So, if it's not too much to ask…"
At this moment, a servant behind him timely handed him a Duel Disk with a deck already loaded.
"…Would you be willing to duel me?"
(This match is expected to be a bit long and may require two days.)
🚨 Note : Consider to Support this Story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access +300 advance Chapters and To Support The Daily Update